Vishing

What is Vishing?

Vishing is fraudulent contact made by phone. The fraudster calls and claims that they’re from the bank, the police, an IT company or another official organisation or company that you trust.

How it works?

They try to get you to reveal confidential information such as:

Account details, PINs and passwords to get the ‘problem’ resolved.

Sometimes you may get a ‘warm up’ call where no information is discussed. This is to prepare for a second call in which they’re likely to ask for information. They’ll then use the information gained to access your accounts and transfer funds. Alternatively, they may ask you to make payments or transfers to either “protect your funds” or to “test” your profile.

The fraudsters may claim some of the following:

There’s a problem with your account that requires urgent action.

There’s been some suspicious activity on your accounts.

There’s malware on your computer.

They’re investigating fraud by bank staff.

Protect yourself and your business from Vishing

Treat all unsolicited phone calls with suspicion – never be afraid to hang up.

Never reveal the details of PINs, passwords or Smartcard codes over the phone in any circumstances, even if the caller claims to be from the bank or a company you trust.

If you receive a request to download software to connect to your computer and you haven’t started the conversation yourself, refuse to do so.

You’ll never be asked to transfer funds by either the bank or the police. Don’t make any payments – instead, end the call and contact the bank using a separate device.

Be aware that fraudsters can spoof your Caller ID to display a recognised number and make you believe the call is genuine.

If you receive a suspicious or unexpected call, verify the caller using an independently checked phone number such as a contact number from our website. Where possible, use a different phone, in case the fraudster has kept the line open and they’re waiting to intercept the outbound call you make to verify the caller. If not, try calling someone else you know first to make sure your line is clear.

Could that next call be a fraudster? Be alert to the signs.

Vishing is the name given to telephone fraud. We'll tell you how to spot it which may help protect your business.